Who We Are
by SoulsSwords
Summary: A lone swordsman sent on a typical quest, a fortune teller with an innocent, fragile heart, a memory that haunts the swordsman, an adventure that will change their lives.
1. Ein

**Souls_&_Swords: This three chapter story is dedicated to a very dear friend Malissa Alexandra =) This is for you.**

**Ober-Getzenberg, Holy Roman Empire (Germany) 1608 A.D.**

"Have you heard the story of the Big Bad Wolf?" a young, blonde girl in a German village asked her small group of friends; they were all about nine or ten, "I heard he ate Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother then he ate _her_!" the young girl Madeline twirled her long golden hair around her finger, the second girl next to her, Lena, shook her head.

"I heard a hunter came and killed him—then he cut Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma out!"

"I heard he ate Little Red Riding Hood _before _she even got to her grandma's house!" Only one girl wasn't part of the conversation, although she was part of the group. Young, freckled Heidi gingerly rocked her legs back and forth on the tall stump she was perched on. It was late in the night, and she had been waiting anxiously for days for someone to return, "What about you Heidi? What do you think about the Big Bad Wolf?"

All eyes were on her—the girl blushed and hid her pale, freckled face, "Oh um—I don't think the wolf was mean at all! I think he was just hungry and he did the only thing wolves know to do!"

There was a pause, and then there was laughter—the two girls not even having the decency to humor the youngest of them. Madeline was the most ecstatic, "Of course wolves eat people! That's because he was evil!"

"It was because he was _starving_!" Heidi hopped off her small stump and balled her small hands into even smaller fists, "If you were really hungry, you'd eat a person too!"

"Now now you three…" a male voice startled the girls, the voice that sang a rapturous melody in Heidi's ears. Approaching the three's circle, a tall, dark-haired swordsman chuckled and maintained a grin, "There's no use in making fun of your friend."

"Z.W.E.I.!" Heidi rushed towards him and leapt up, trying to latch herself on the six foot man's torso. He couldn't take it—he laughed like a punch drunk man as he held the young girl in his arms… oh god how he'd missed home, missed his little companion who'd idolized him since the day she was born. He'd taken care of her since her father was rarely around. Heidi was the daughter of a swordsman who was part of a group called Schwartzwind; a group Z.W.E.I. had immediately been familiarized with… the girl was nearly in tears, "I thought you were never coming back!"

"What?" he sat down, gently pulling away and raising a brow, "You're nuts; I knew you'd be waiting for me—that's why I had to come home." The child then wiped the tears from her freckled face, Lena and Madeline were stunned as well.

"Z.W.E.I.," Lena began, adjusting her hair ribbon, "Where have you been? You said you were only going to be gone for a few days." The tall swordsman couldn't seem to pry the nearly-withdrawn Heidi off of his lap; she'd been having horrific anxiety.

"It's been weeks!" he gently ruffled her hair.

"I had some business to take care of… it's all over with now, I should probably-"

"Tell us Z.W.E.I.!" Madeline grabbed Lena by the arm and pushed her down into the dirt on her bottom, "Tell us the story!"

"Eh…" he scratched his head, "It's pretty long…"

The girls pouted their lips and shimmered their eyes, "Plee-aa-se?"

"Plee-aa-se?" Heidi cuddled up to her surrogate brother—father even. Unable to give in to their pleas, knowing he'd end up telling the story anyway, he laughed and adjusted the girl on his leg.

"Okay okay… you know how your dad sent me a letter saying I had to come meet with his group down in Ödenburg?" he spoke directly to Heidi, unaware at the time that he'd actually been summoned by the leader of the Schwartzwind, a native of Germany himself, Siegfried Schtauffen. He was shorter than Z.W.E.I. himself by a few inches, and possibly even shorter than the large, Zweihänder blade the blonde man used. It'd be ridiculous not to think he was German; Siegfried was the typical Aryan blonde-haired, blue-eyed native that people were accustomed to. He was quite handsome in his time, as even his sworn comrade Hilde of Wolfkrone, Germany, once shared romance with him. The two were _much _older than the swordsman before them. Z.W.E.I. had received a summons from Heidi's father—saying he was needed at the Schwartzwind hideaway in the city a few days away from the village in Ober-Getzenberg.

When he arrived at the ancient citadel, it was a beautiful, peaceful summer day, "I'm here to see Kristof." The man declared to the Schwartzwind leaders before him, addressing Heidi's father by his first name. He noticed the three second neutral response from the two leaders and was about to pull out the vague letter that Siegfried had forged, knowing from Kristof how… _tenacious _Z.W.E.I. could be at times.

"That won't be necessary." The fair-skinned Hilde smiled, "We know why you're here." Z.W.E.I. paused; he'd _thought _he knew why he hiked three days across the mountains and forests to meet with a long-term friend, then the man with long blonde hair smirked.

"Kristof isn't actually in any need of your assistance… it was I who summoned you." Damn it; Z.W.E.I. was far from interested in doing business with strangers—whatever it was they wanted him for.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Siegfried Schtauffen, I've been the leader of this group for…" he paused, "Well, I'm not going to go into how old I am." He chuckled, trying to keep the large man from becoming aggressive (then again, what was he _now_?) The woman, wearing a large, feathered hat and alluring, plump lips then smiled.

"And I'm Hildegard von Krone; I joined this group seventeen years ago. May I say, what a perfect swordsman you are for this request!" she tried to suck-up, although neither friendliness nor flattery would work with the werewolf-like man.

"Enough with the kiss-ass crap; why the hell did you call me all the way down here?" he held his trusted blade Kreuzgriff in one hand—it was a large, double-handled blade. And one better not say he was afraid to use it. Siegfried retained a calm demeanor and stepped closer.

"We needed someone with… gifts like yours for this task." Z.W.E.I. then froze… how did they know?

"Gifts?"

"You know, your powers!" Hilde nodded, "Kristof told us about your 'friend'," she air-quoted," and at this point, it's necessary we recruit someone of your skills for our problem."

"What problem?" he demanded with ice in his tone. Siegfried then let out his serious side.

"There's been a mass-murderer being manipulated under the hands of Graf Dumas, multiple of them actually, but the one we're concerned with is Patroklos Alexander; he is of Greek decent and is after a young woman in the area." Z.W.E.I. held his head, confused, stammering in an attempt to hush Siegfried for a moment.

"Wait wait wait; what? You want me to do some sort of hero's job?" he hated going out and doing work that others were easily capable of, "Why can't your little group handle it?"

"Because Patroklos is only after what Graf Dumas dubbed, 'malfested'."

Z.W.E.I. raised a brow, baffled, "Malfested-huh?"

Hilde explained, "They are people supposedly possessed by the cursed sword Soul Edge's power; he is sent off to expel whoever is corrupted by it." Z.W.E.I. scratched his chin.

"Seems like this guy's doing us a favor." The two knights in front of him quickly shook their heads.

"No, you see… Graf Dumas has no way proving these people are malfested… he is simply sending out his servants to kill innocent people on his own regard." _Now _the swordsman was interested, holding his mouth agape.

"So this kid… Patroklos, he's the one around the area?" Siegfried nodded to confirm the situation.

"Yes, but we'll be taking care of him, what you're going to be doing is… _much _simpler than you may think." There was a pause, "What you're going to do is rescue the next woman on Dumas' list, Viola… she works as a fortune teller in the towns nearby. You're going to casually offer her a session, explain to her what's happening, then kindly escort her out of the area. We'll have guards around the area for when the servants show up."

Z.W.E.I. chuckled, feeling a bit cocky, "Your little guards won't be needed, trust me." A task as easy as this, it was nothing new for the swordsman. Hilde was skeptical.

"What do you mean?"

With nothing more than a smirk, Z.W.E.I. took a single step back from the two and after a pause for dramatic effect, pounded his fist into the ground, "Hwaugh!" he bellowed, then a large, shining light appeared from above him—emerging from it was a silver, werewolf-like creature that had no fur, but fangs and claws, "E.I.N.!" he addressed the creature's name, telling him to introduce himself with a low roar. The two knights were speechless, their eyes were wide—albeit they'd seen plenty of bizarre creatures in their time, it had been quite a while.

"Heh, don't worry, he only bites if I tell him to." With a raise of his hand, E.I.N. curled up into a ball and vanished, taking the light with him. Hilde tried to speak, but her tongue was twisted.

"Ah-eh, how did-"

"It's nothing worth talking about." Z.W.E.I. scratched the back of his head, "So this little walk in the park, which way is it?" Siegfried lowered his head with an assertive tone.

"Don't get too cocky, these aren't simply misguided young men; they're outlaws, murderers!" Z.W.E.I. wasn't quite convinced—he'd been told to be careful many times.

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you Siegfried; every time I call my little buddy out," he laughed, "they run for the hills—they don't even put up a fight." Hilde understood his rather… justified attitude, but she still had caution in her voice.

"Are you sure you don't need guards around the perimeter?" while Hilde had the concern of a mother, Siegfried had the strict warnings of a father, still staring at him harshly. Z.W.E.I. was still confident in his skills.

"Positive… now where's this Viola?"

X-x-X

Soon enough Z.W.E.I. had reached a small town in Ödenburg; all he was told was look for a pale woman with curled hair that shimmered like the stars and red eyes. The only thing Z.W.E.I. hadn't mentioned was that he was color-blind, but that didn't take away his logic. Fortune teller he told himself, look for some dark-looking tent he thought, they were usually private like that. He blended in with the crowd of citizens shopping or conversing, "Okay," he whispered to himself, "Find this Viola girl, get her out, take care of Graf Dumas' kids, and go home. Piece of cake." He was taller than most of the citizens, standing at six feet, he had a decent view of what was ahead. He soon enough saw peering down the cobblestone road, a large, black tent with a stand in front of it. The swordsman halted his next step and observed like a hawk from afar.

Surely enough emerging from the tent was a rather alluring young woman with a see-through veil over her nose and mouth, a long dress and high heels on. And to top it off—hair that shimmered like the stars. Bull's eye! No one was with her however, not a customer, not an 'assistant', she leaned against the stand and proceeded to gently stroke her curly locks of thin, soft hair. Why would anyone be after _her_? Other than her eyes, probably albinism Z.W.E.I. thought, she was just an ordinary, attractive young woman, at least in the werewolf man's eyes. Just as he was about to carefully plan out his rescue, a flustered woman rushed past him and stopped in front of Viola's tent, startling her. The breathless woman's cries could be heard from across town.

"Madame, oh please grant me your predictions! My mother, she-"

"Calm down." Her voice… it was so soothing, it gave Z.W.E.I. chills down his spine. Even from where he was standing did her voice stand out in the crowd, "Is this about what we discussed last week?" If she was a fortune teller, then wouldn't she have 'predicted' the woman would be coming back the man thought? "Let us go inside and see what she has to say."

She?

This _was _the Viola he was after, right? Deciding he'd play by ear, Z.W.E.I. approached the stand and waited; unaware of what was going on inside the dark tent, free of any sunlight or outdoor disturbances, in between the woman and Viola was a deep, lavender orb. It glowed brilliantly and levitated just a foot off the ground. Viola lovingly waved her hands around it, as if caressing the cheek of a child—it felt glassy and solid to the touch. The woman with teary eyes held her hands together with desperation. Viola communicated telepathically with the orb.

_Please, show us, either one of us, what will become of her mother._

_**My love, I cannot do that, but I will show you what could be done.**_

__With a slight headache, the young woman lowered her arms and waited to see what her orb companion would show. It began to glow and showed only Viola a vision that the woman could not see or hear. Her ruby eyes narrowed, trying to focus the boggled vision, "What do you see?" Viola held her hands over the sides of the orb and brought it closer without even touching it. She spoke softly.

"I see you and your mother on a cool autumn morning; the leaves are falling in their orange and red pool on the ground. You're laughing together." Hope leapt in the girl's eyes.

"Autumn? It's summer now, so she'll live into autumn?"

"Yes… but how her life is extended from her illness, the orb will not tell me. But she says that you are responsible for keeping her alive."

"Me?" she held her hands over her breast, feeling her pounding heart, "What do I do?"

The orb's blinding light dimmed, no longer revealing anything to the fortune teller, "She did not say… what's meant to happen will happen."

Z.W.E.I. impatiently tapped his foot; it had felt like hours of waiting in the hot sun for some silver-haired woman. Finally he saw the opening of the tent waver and two women appear, "Thank you so much Madame!" she shook Viola's hand, the dried tears on her cheeks were still noticeable, "Oh thank you! I'm going to mother right now!" Viola watched the joyous girl run off, she smiled gently. If only the orb would actually _tell _Viola certain details… Z.W.E.I. was right in front of his 'client'. She was far prettier up-close, the long red dress had white roses designed on it he could see; at least he assumed they were white. She was absolutely _tiny_. Even with the heels she had on, the woman was like a child in comparison to Z.W.E.I. She seemed dazed. Z.W.E.I. forced a cough.

"Ahem…" Viola, with the red veil that did nothing to cover her beautiful features from him turned her head.

"Yes? Are you here for a reading?"

"Oh-uh no m'am, Viola, correct?" he rested his elbow on the stand, getting tired of standing up-straight.

"Yes… at least that's what _she _calls me." She referred to the orb, who had renamed her upon finding the poor woman who'd developed amnesia long ago. The dark-haired man didn't bother asking about 'she' and tapped his fingers on the wooden stand in front of the tent. He looked to his left and right—nothing suspicious yet. She didn't like the silence; she swiped some dust off of her red dress to get his attention, "Sir?"

"So Viola, tell me; can you see into the future?" Shouldn't _she _be asking the questions? She had to be a phony, if she could see into the future; wouldn't she have escaped on her own by now? The young woman raised a brow.

"Well, not on my own. The orb, she shows me what-"

"Yeah yeah," Z.W.E.I. realized he had to get to the point sooner or later; but how did he do this? He'd never been an 'escort' before, "Listen uh… did the orb happen to mention I or someone was coming to you by any chance?"

"I don't know what you're saying." Viola blushed, confused more than ever. She hated looking like a fraud when it was the orb that did this to her, "Look, if you're not here for a reading, then please stop wasting my time." The woman coldly exclaimed, causing Z.W.E.I. to back up as a man walked next to him.

"Alright, alright." He'd convince her eventually, but he stepped away as the man placed a coin on the counter.

"Oh, I don't charge, what can I help you with?" Viola wondered.

"Well for starters, you can help by surrendering." A brash voice exclaimed, befuddling Viola and shocking Z.W.E.I. Caught off guard, the woman took a step back.

"I-I'm sorry?" she'd hoped it was some sick prank by teenagers; but this was no prank, as the blonde man took a sword out of his shield.

"Surrender to Graf Dumas!" It was Patroklos Alexander. Just before he could cut her body in two, Z.W.E.I. leapt on her in the same fashion a wolf would leap onto its prey and knocked her down and out of danger. A shocked gasp escaped her throat as she tried to heft the large man off of her. Z.W.E.I. lifted himself off of her, and stared into her eyes… he imagined they were blue or green—especially with that bright hair. Never would he have guessed ruby. Viola was shocked and confused, but the two couldn't stop, they heard noises.

"There she is!" Another man yelled, "The malfested!" Viola jolted on to her knees faster than lighting, trying to crawl away—wearing heels wasn't beneficial at all in this situation. Z.W.E.I. stood up and planted his feet to the ground.

"E.I.N.!" he roared. The blinding light would hurt more than what the werewolf would actually do to the servants, "Take care of them!" he pointed, and with a loud roar, the creature leapt out of the light and attacked the foes—the townspeople in a frenzy. Looking around wildly, he saw Viola stumble onto her feet and go to run, but he quickly grabbed her hand and dashed with her into the forest, "Come on!"

"What the-?" his vice-like grip was painful, but she forced her legs to try and keep up with his, "SLOW DOWN!" she commanded, nearly tripping on the large roots of the forest trees. Z.W.E.I. ignored her.

"Do you want to escape or not?!"

"You try running in heels!" she yelled. Z.W.E.I. nearly caused the girl to slam face-first into the dirt as he hopped over a fallen trunk. Finally skidding to a stop, Z.W.E.I. came to a cliff, leading to at least a ten-foot drop down to a serene river. He still cut off the circulation in Viola's wrist as she squirmed for him to let go.

"Damn! Dead end!"

"Would you tell me what's going on?!" she snatched her arm back, shaking her hand that tingled painfully. He looked at the 'fortune teller', she really hadn't a clue what was going on—but either way, she was frightened.

"I hear them!" one of the guard's voices, they had nowhere else to run. He grabbed Viola by the arm.

"Are you good at holding your breath?"

"What-?" before she could even process the question, he took two rapid steps off the edge and dragged her with him, "AUUGH!" he wrapped his arms around her torso as the plunged under. One of the servants arrived just in time to see the left over rings from the splash. But there was no sign of them—the water was too cloudy that he couldn't even catch a silhouette. E.I.N. had vanished back into the light and followed Z.W.E.I.'s path. The guard threw down his sword in irritation.

"Damn it! We lost them!" Patroklos stepped forward, sheathing his sword back into his shield that was also his scabbard. The blonde man shook his head.

"Don't worry, we're just gonna have to follow the river—they can't get very far. And they have to come up for air sometime."

"Did you see that thing?! That guy's part wolf or something!" said a man who'd watched their members be ripped to shreds.

"Quit being afraid!" the Greek man demanded, "You can all go tell Graf Dumas that you were afraid of a little pooch to protect the world from the malfested." The brash man equipped his sword once again. The other members then exchanged looks—who the hell made _him _leader? "For now, let's go back; we need to set up camp."

…

Their footsteps faded, and from underneath the waters two heads busted through the surface. Z.W.E.I. had Viola tightly around his arm, the two gasped for air. Once the young woman regained her strength she fought away from Z.W.E.I. and waded, "Let go!" she was infuriated, "I can swim!"

"Oh sure, that's the thanks I get for saving your life!" he hated this 'job' enough without the attitude of a phony fortune teller.

"Saving my life? How do I know you're not one of them?!"

"Aren't _you _the fortune teller?" he mocked, only trying to irritate her farther. Viola smacked her palm on her face and went to wade to where the river ended, slowly rising her drenched, cold body from the water.

"Just take me back to my home and I'll thank you there when I'm in a better mood."

"You can't go back!" Z.W.E.I. emerged directly behind her and towered over the petite young woman, "Those people, they're not just vicious murderers, they have a goal; and they want _you_." Viola removed the veil, no longer useful and dripped wet—her once elegant floral patterned dress was no droopy and faded. She folded her arms over her breasts, trying to keep warm.

"Why did they want me?"

Her voice again… her emotions were always there—and what the swordsman had just heard was fear. And he couldn't blame her… after all her everyday life had just been unwillingly broken from the routine. Feeling bashful about his sudden action, he nodded.

"They work for a man named Graf Dumas, someone who works for the malfested." He held Viola's shoulders, more of an attempt to ease the woman rather than seduce her… although she had unknowingly done all the seducing, "I was sent by a clan called Schwartzwind to protect you." Viola shrugged him off, still holding herself from her worry. She stepped away, although she had nowhere she could possibly go.

"Well… thank you then." She mumbled, "It's getting late now… no use in trying to find our way out of this damn forest." The red-eyed woman looked up at the rising moon. Z.W.E.I. nodded, agreeing.

"Yeah, guess we're spending the night outdoors." He then casually got down on his back and positioned himself to watch the stars, "Nothing like a good ole camping trip!" he sighed. Viola still stared at him coldly, unsure of what to think of her savior, though still freezing cold. Z.W.E.I. patted the ground, "Come on, I don't bite." Although hesitant, the woman slowly got to her knees and then laid on her side—the ground was certainly uncomfortable, and her mucky dress attracted the dirt like a magnet. But that didn't matter.

"What's your name?" the exhausted young woman began to fall asleep already. Although no one believed that it was his true name, he introduced himself.

"Z.W.E.I. I already know your name." he smirked.

"Z.W.E.I…" Viola began to drift off, "The orb told me of that name…" the swordsman went to ask what she meant, but she was fast asleep, shivering from the river water that had been absorbed by her bones. Whatever, he thought. For now, the two slept.


	2. Zwei

_**Wake up, Z.W.E.I.**_

A sensual voice broke through the darkness; opening his eyes slowly into the new day, above him was a crystal orb that was glowing wildly. As if it was angry. Surprised, Z.W.E.I. grunted and pushed himself back from it rapidly. The commotion had woken Viola, who'd tossed and turned all night from her anxiety—but she gasped with delight upon seeing her mystical companion, "You returned!" she wobbled to her feet and the orb levitated itself to her hands. Z.W.E.I. was catching his breath, not sure what had been happening at first.

"What the hell?"

"Z.W.E.I., this is who shows me the future and the past." She smiled, allowing the orb to levitate over her palm, "She's the one who named me Viola—she found me and promised to take care of me." Was that the voice he'd heard just a moment ago? He stood up.

"Heh, well she certainly knows how to give a rude awakening." The orb did not glow or dim; it simply levitated and gave a neutral response. Viola scowled and cradled the orb.

"She must've came looking for me after the attack." Was she being serious? Z.W.E.I. figured if he had a werewolf companion, then it shouldn't be quite odd that she had an orb companion.

"Eh so this orb… did she say anything about how all of this turns out?" the dark-haired, color-blind man scratched his hair, trying to flatten it down.

"No… the orb only shows me what she wants me to see. I have no control over what I can predict." Viola admitted, caressing the shimmering companion that reflected in her ruby eyes. How useless Z.W.E.I. thought, but at least she'd keep Viola happy. After stretching his arms and looking off at the wooded path ahead of him, he sighed.

"Well, I guess you're covered; I've got a three day walk home." The man stepped over some rubble and nearly left the woman alone, but he was interrupted when he felt a sudden impact against the back of his head—it was so forceful that he was knocked over, "Agh! What the-?" looking up, he saw the orb, glowing furiously with near purple flames. Viola had her hands over her mouth from surprise, "What was that for?!" Z.W.E.I. got onto his feet in a rage.

"I didn't do that!" she stomped over, but the orb rapidly was at her side once again. If anyone had blinked they would've missed the flight of the magical entity. Viola hadn't commanded the orb or anything—it was simply trying to tell her message physically, "Even though I should've!" she growled, "You're just going to leave me in the woods so bears can eat me? Or that freak clan can find me?" Z.W.E.I. held his hand against his head, still sore.

"Why can't that orb… thing just fight them? It really does some damage!" he cringed in pain. Viola held it close.

"My orb isn't a being of violence;" she smirked, feeling playful, "Unless of course she doesn't like someone." Z.W.E.I. growled and turned away.

"What the hell am I doing?" he grumbled to himself, trying to think of a reasonable solution that wouldn't 'anger' the orb. This was absolutely ridiculous! Never did he expect that he'd be appeasing an inanimate object one day. Viola gently rubbed her fingers over the ivory surface until the man turned around, "Look, how about I take you to the Schwartzwind; they're the ones who sent me to save you." The woman raised a brow, "They're a clan of knights, I'm sure you'll be safe with them." And that was as sincere as Z.W.E.I. could get. With E.I.N. at his side, he was sure no one would be messing with them on the way. The silver-haired woman had to think for a moment—her orb hadn't mentioned the name Schwartzwind once, but then again there were a lot of things the orb refused to tell her.

"Alright, let's go then!" The swordsman then scanned the fortune teller; her once elegant dress was covered with splotches of dirt and grime, it was still damp he could tell—it still drooped heavily. He figured they would come across a town eventually.

"Why don't we get you some new clothes while we're at it?" Viola was still cold from her drenched outfit. She smiled, he'd said something appealing for once.

"I'd like that."

For surely enough, after easily finding their way out of the forest and into a small, inconspicuous town, Viola told her orb to remain hidden and went into a small shop. Z.W.E.I. remained hidden in the trees, blending in—they'd agreed to cut through the woods in hopes that Graf Dumas' servants wouldn't find them. They stayed away from the river, knowing they'd be looking for them there. The orb was watching him from behind—despite it had no eyes, Z.W.E.I. could feel it's, _her_, intense stare. It didn't like him alright, but what did he care? Ignoring the fact it could beat his head into a bloody pulp if it wanted. Coming out of the shop was the same beautiful Viola, but wearing a short, ruffled dress that accented her curvy body. She still wore heels but with laced stockings that had a pattern of a moth trapped in a cobweb. But what Z.W.E.I. didn't see necessary was the hooded cape that split down the middle. Was she an assassin or something? Pleased with her purchase, Viola rejoined her 'acquaintance' back in the forest.

"What the hell is the hood for?"

"It's a disguise!" she replied, they were climbing over some fallen trees. Z.W.E.I. snorted.

"It makes you look like Little Red Riding Hood." He teased, but Viola snickered, albeit her heels were giving her a hard time.

"The dress is purple!" she noted, trying to force the tight stocking to stretch with her legs over the lumber. Z.W.E.I. had been caught; he hated people knowing he was color-blind like an actual werewolf.

"I meant the hood." He tried to save himself, turning around only to see her struggling to hop over a log. Why wasn't her orb, whom was levitating next to her, helping her? He stepped forward.

"The hood isn't red either it's-" she began to topple over, her heel nearly breaking, but she found herself saved by Z.W.E.I.'s quick speed, "Aubergine…" she finished correcting. But the two blushed as they stared at each other's eyes. Z.W.E.I. had intense, grey eyes that went well with his chiseled face. He naturally assumed with how light her eyes appeared, that they were blue. Pushing away from him, Viola forced the red away from her cheeks—the swordsman only cleared his throat and continued ahead of her, "The hood's kind of like the color of your eyes."

What color were his eyes again? Damn it! Just play along, "Oh, I see." He lied. Viola felt he was hiding something, once again the orb decided to let the scene play through on its own.

"If I were Little Red Riding Hood, it would match my eyes." She decided to play this game with him. But Z.W.E.I. no longer tried to keep his cool and he froze.

"You mean to tell me your eyes are red?" he turned to get a closer look—but all he saw was black-and-white and shades of gray. Now he wanted to see… he hadn't the slightest clue what red looked like, but on her he bet it was beautiful.

"Yes… I guess you just didn't look close enough." Maybe Z.W.E.I. wasn't secretive about being color-blind, or slightly. Maybe he just didn't know his colors. Embarrassed, the large warrior scratched his hair.

"Yeah, I guess not." They looked up at the sky, the sun was at its highest peak, filtering through the trees, "It shouldn't be much longer, I recognize this path." He confirmed, gesturing Viola to follow. The orb wasn't too far behind, although the fortune teller would repeatedly turn her head to make sure _she_ was following. Z.W.E.I. eventually caught on to this and about half an hour later decided to finally ask, "So what's your story?"

There was a pause—Viola had been dazed, not processing the question, "Sorry, what?" she shook her head. Z.W.E.I. was curious as to what she was so deep in thought about.

"Your story; where are you from?" Viola sheepishly kept behind him, literally walking in his shadow. She held her hands together and fiddled with her fingers.

"Oh, I don't really remember, you see." She admitted, "I just remember waking up one day and the orb was next to me." They came to a stop at a large gate. It led to the citadel. Z.W.E.I. took out Kreuzgriff to try and pick at the large chained lock. He could hear the somber in Viola's voice, "I don't remember anyone; my parents, my friends… I don't even remember if I had a family or not." Z.W.E.I. nearly had his blade in the right spot, but he stopped for a moment. He didn't know why, but he did—hands still firmly gripping the blade, "It must be nice knowing who you are and having a family-"

_Chink!_

The large chains fell down to the floor, causing the young woman to have a jump scare. It was as if he didn't _want _her to finish her statement, "Alright, I guess we can shake hands and move on now." As the large man pushed the doors open, the two were both bewildered. It appeared as though a war had charged through the area. The fort had been violently torn apart; the drawbridge was covered in ash. The once peaceful fortress was now abandoned, "Holy shit." Z.W.E.I. growled, stunned by the possible agony that went through here. Viola was paralyzed from fright, the orb knew the violence that had occurred—as it whispered this in her ear, the woman slowly and fearfully stepped in behind her protector.

"Oh god, don't tell me Graf Dumas came through here!"

"It wasn't Dumas." Viola was shaking, he could hear her trembling voice, "It was something far… far worse!" she wanted to orb to stop telling her the information, but it wouldn't hush. It continued to whisper the hellish images into her head.

_**Corpses were everywhere, they had to retreat, heads went rolling…**_

__Viola then held her head, as if in pain. She pulled at her hair—the werewolf-like warrior turned around and saw the poor woman, "You alright?" concern wormed into his heart as he saw how scared the strikingly innocent woman was.

"She's telling me what happened but I want her to stop!" her ruby eyes were wide, she got down in a kneeling position. She couldn't sit down because it would be a challenge to stand back up on her heels. But as her entire body shook the orb continued on and on. Z.W.E.I. wasn't sure what to do.

"So just… tell her to stop."

"She won't listen!" she was on the verge of tears; she didn't want to see the graphic gory imagery anymore, "Please make her stop!" Z.W.E.I. couldn't hear anything, although the orb was glowing a bit brighter than normal. It bobbed up and down in the air as it seemed to be looking at him. He sneered at it with hate, "Z.W.E.I., please make it stop!" why was it doing this to her? Weren't they companions? Or maybe it was testing him, trying to find a reason so piss him off so it could hit him again. But he didn't care… not when poor Viola was in this state.

"HEY! SHUT THE HELL UP!"

…

The orb's purple flames ceased and Viola let out a gasp of relief. The voice had ceased, but her fear didn't. Z.W.E.I. wasn't sure what had happened himself, but the orb wasn't attacking at least, only staring. He knelt down next to Viola who still held her head "Are you alright?" he rubbed her back, trying to decrease the adrenaline. She still breathed heavily.

"Yes… but-" she stopped, "So vivid…" she was teary-eyed, although they wouldn't drop from her lovely lashes, "The images were so vivid." The sun was starting to sink. Z.W.E.I. knew this was a good time for the two to rest. He helped her to her feet, holding a hand.

"Come on, let's just find somewhere safe to sleep."

X-x-X

"Has the orb done that before?" Z.W.E.I. was lying on the floor, his head positioned up against a tree. Viola leaned against the bark, gazing into her comrade.

"Yes, but when I ask her to stop, she normally listens. I guess I just became so agitated that she couldn't understand my thoughts." The woman tried to justify her closest, if not only friend. The moon had swallowed the sky; Z.W.E.I. was entranced by it, "Z.W.E.I.?" Viola's delicate voice broke the silence, "Why did you help me?"

"What?"

"You said you were taking me to Schwartzwind; but now you're keeping me by your side despite you have nothing left to do with me… why?" The werewolf wasn't too sure himself, he narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know. I guess I…" deep down inside, back when she was having an episode, part of him had seen some of himself in the woman—frightened, alone, and not knowing what their purpose in life was. But he couldn't open up to this stranger, she wouldn't feel the same, "I guess I felt I wouldn't have done my job." Viola turned her attention away from the crystal ball.

"What do you mean?"

"The deal was that I escort you to safety—and if I just left you at the Schwartzwind where someone clearly ambushed, then you could be in danger." He robotically went on, unconscious that he was spitting out how he truly felt for once, "That's why I'm gonna stick around until you find somewhere to settle down away from the madness." The young woman blushed; her eyes gleamed as she grinned. Her memories of when she first heard the name Z.W.E.I. returned—she'd heard "Z.W.E.I.", but then she'd heard, "Protector". As the man got a look at her gentle smile, despite she was looking away, he saw her beautiful, plump lips.

He craved them deeply… he didn't know why, but they were the lips of an unusually beautiful woman who had a compassionate, and kind-heart. But he didn't deserve love… he didn't want any more love, "You're kind, Z.W.E.I." she whispered, "You're gentle." Not this again… no words of affection! He didn't deserve them! He screamed in his head as she halted herself, "When we finally find somewhere safe, I promise I'll never forget you." A frown formed itself on her lips, "Even if I can't remember my true name or my past… I swear I'll never forget you." The words touched the werewolf's heart—but it felt like a knife as painful memories flashed before him. He turned his back to her in an attempt to fall asleep.

Lucky for him, Viola had no more to say as she gazed at the stars. The orb read them to her, eventually lulling her into a peaceful sleep.

…

"Unn…" Z.W.E.I. eventually dozed out of sleep later that night, despite it was actually quite early in the morning—so early it was still dark out. He often woke up occasionally, always falling back asleep soon after. He'd turned over onto his back as he slept, when he went to turn over onto his side, he heard a gentle voice.

"Who's Zosia?" Viola whispered with a grin. Z.W.E.I.'s heart skipped a beat when he heard that name; it was a name he never wanted to mutter again. His eyes were wide and full of confusion.

"What?"

"You were mumbling in your sleep." She continued as Z.W.E.I. sat up and leaned against the tree in a similar fashion as her, "You were saying 'Zosia' over and over." He rubbed his eyes, "Were you dreaming about something?"

The swordsman couldn't remember anything but darkness for the last hour or so, "I don't remember." He curled up and leaned against his knees. Viola giggled.

"Well, that's too bad I guess; you were smiling, so it seemed like a nice dream." A pleasant dream that he had no memory of; just his luck. He may as well go ahead and tell her since she knew.

"I knew a girl named Zosia…" he whispered, ice in his tone, "She was someone I cared about." Viola wasn't told of Zosia from the orb that lay dormant next to her, completely dim. She scooted herself closer to hear him.

"Ah, so you had a wife." She cheerfully commented. Z.W.E.I. hadn't even thought about her in years.

"Yes, but that's not Zosia…

… Zosia was my daughter."

Viola then flinched into shock, studying the man who couldn't look her in the eyes, "She was four years old… she was playing with her friends by the lake while I was gone one day—she slipped, hit her head and drowned… that was it. The stupidest fucking thing."

Viola remained speechless, her eyes gleaming with empathy, "Perfect thing to come home and have one person you can't wait to see… and to be told by someone's dad; a _stranger _that your daughter drowned and no one could do anything." He looked at the moon with a heavy heart, "I guess I still dream about her." He shook his head, "There's no purpose left for me in the world, no one who loves me, no one to love… I wake up, I watch the day go by, then I go back to sleep. That's it." The woman's lips quivered as her heart pounded from the story.

"Z.W.E.I., I'm sorry—I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine, I needed to talk about it." He pursed his lips and shut his eyes tightly, "She loved playing by the lake, she was probably laughing." He tried to ease himself. Just before passing through the village gates was the swordsman going to get down on his knees and hold his arms out for his young toddler to leap into them like she always did… but not that day. There wasn't even a proper burial… her body was probably rotted in the rivers by now. Viola shook her own tears away.

"She was lucky to have you as a father." Her throat closed from trying to hold back a forming wail. She held her lips closed, but the man had no response other than the two easiest words he could force out.

"Thank you." He said despite he thought the exact opposite of what she had said.


	3. Drei

Z.W.E.I. could hear the voice of someone choking; it was coming from next to him. It had interrupted the swordsman's deep sleep—and if it wasn't that, it was certainly the sun beaming directly down on him. He heard more anguished gasps; drowsy and not conscious yet, he was able to calculate that it was indeed Viola's voice. Reaching his arm out to his right he felt her arm and shook her, "Viola." The gasping and twitching didn't cease, the werewolf hadn't even opened his eyes yet. Probably nightmares he assumed, "Viola, wake up." He shook her again, but her gasps for air only sounded worse and worse, as if she was struggling to scream for help. Finally opening his eyes, he saw Viola, her eyes nearly rolled back into her head and clutching at her throat. Something appeared to be strangling her—it was her! He quickly knelt over her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Viola!" He shouted with fright, dumbfounded that she was doing this to herself—but she seemed to be struggling against it; as if something was manipulating her. Tears crawled out of her eyes as her ruby irises focused on Z.W.E.I., begging him for help. He grabbed at her wrists that were clenched onto her throat, trying to pry them away. Her face became more and more blue by the moment, "God damn it! STOP IT!" he commanded, unsure of what the hell was happening.

_Orb~_ the barely breathing woman forced out in a strained voice. Z.W.E.I. was panicked, trying to understand her, "What?"

_ORB!_

He looked frantically to his left and right and saw the flaming ball of light nearby. He left her for not even a moment as he grabbed it and dragged it over, "I don't know what the hell you're doing to her, but you better stop it!" the orb glowed erratically over the young woman as she desperately tried to regain the will of her body, nearly fading into darkness. Finally, her arms flung to her sides and she swallowed the air violently. Z.W.E.I. lifted her head and tried to sit her up. He tried to help the blood flowing again by lightly smacking her cheek. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop saying her name, "Viola… Viola…" the way it rolled off of his tongue in such a graceful manner. She regained the color in her face as well as the ability to speak.

"I can't breathe." As if it wasn't obvious enough. He helped her over to the river. The man cupped some water into his hand and gently wiped her face.

"Here, just try to breathe." His intellect suddenly kicked in, as well as his fear, "Try to…" they were near a river… which was what Graf Dumas' servants were following. His gray eyes grew intense as he realized his error of direction.

"Z.W.E.I." she choked, "Where are we going? The orb said that some sort of demonic presence manipulated her to do this to me." He rubbed at his hair nervously.

"I don't know, for now we were just wandering… but now we've gotta get the hell out of here!" the orb darted in front of him—nearly touching his face it was angry. It stared into his soul. What the hell did it want now?

"Z.W.E.I." Viola didn't want to believe it, but it might be true, "You're leading us into danger and you know it!" The orb was lying to her, perhaps in an attempt to protect Viola from the dangers that followed him, but he couldn't lose the one thing that gave him a purpose.

"What?" but either way he never would lead Viola or himself into danger, "No! Viola I just wasn't thinking, I completely forgot about Graf Dumas until just now!" Before the bitter young woman could bite back, she froze and looked past him with frightened eyes. Z.W.E.I. didn't want to turn around and see the possible horror before them, but when he did, a tall, monstrous knight stood before them. It was far from human, but no less monstrous than the fleshy, oversized sword in his hand.

"What are you?" Z.W.E.I. commanded, standing in front of Viola. The being didn't respond, but it only glowed with dark red flames. The orb said nothing to Viola; it hadn't warned her of any 'knight' that would run into their path. He could barely understand the grumbling of the being, although it appeared that the sword was the one doing all the talking.

"I am your demise." It moaned, controlling the puppet of armor. Z.W.E.I. then equipped Kreuzgriff and shouted E.I.N.'s name. From above him, the glowing light he'd expected appeared, and from within it the large menacing werewolf. It crawled out, glowing with electricity and on all fours, roared at the foe. Viola had only seen werewolves in fairy tales, but never did she anticipate how large they'd be in real-life. E.I.N. had muscles like boulders; fangs that were nearly a foot in length, and claws that could cut a tree down in one swipe. But only at his master's command would he do so.

"Z.W.E.I.," she pulled at his arm, "Let's just get out of here!" she didn't like that sword one bit, but he wouldn't give up that easily.

"Fat chance… E.I.N. CHARGE!" he sent the large beast towards the demon as he leapt to attack from the side with his sword. Werewolves were pack hunters, they had to work together. Viola could only observe the fight, but she didn't run away—she was more useful than that. As Z.W.E.I. prepared for his minion to knock the knight to the side, allowing him to slash him open, the sword seized the opportunity and slashed his large sword horizontally as the wolf jumped forward. The swordsman froze as Viola gasped; both had underestimated the knight's speed with his hefty sword. With a loud whine, the wolf bounced off the ground, smashing it, and landed on its side with a wound on its chest, "E.I.N.!" the werewolf twitched, unable to get up and help his beloved master. So stunned was Z.W.E.I. about causing his companion's pain that he didn't realize he was about to be decapitated by the knight. Before he could react, the knight nearly impaled him… but instead, something at lightning fast speed charged into the knight's head, then came back for seconds, knocking him over.

"HYAH!" Viola cried out, using all of her strength to telepathically command the orb, she waved her arms, trying to force it into the general direction. She brought the orb high up, then violently back down onto the knight, "STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" she growled. Viola knew nothing about fighting, but the orb was quite cooperative with her. Finally, as she gracefully and rapidly waved her arms, she picked up the knight with her crystal ball, and used it to impale it through his own sword. Z.W.E.I. looked at the body for only a moment, then rushed to his dearest canine friend. Viola approached the diminishing body, bringing her orb back to her cradled arms… breathing heavily, she'd never knew she could fight before—but why she'd suddenly fought… she didn't want to see Z.W.E.I get hurt for some reason. Or maybe it was her anger?

"No!" Z.W.E.I. shouted, kneeling over E.I.N., "E.I.N., I'm sorry." The wolf looked at him with his yellow eye, gentle and bright, albeit his large teeth that had blood seeping down his jaw, "I put you in danger… I always do." Tears stood in his eyes. He paused for a moment as Viola observed. Did they telepathically communicate as well? Perhaps E.I.N. was to Z.W.E.I. as the orb was to her. With sympathy, she grimaced and approached the two, "No; I know you always win… but I should've been more cautious—that sword was just too damn-" he stopped, about to lose control of his emotions. Viola got down on her knees next to the swordsman, she watched as the wolf's eye widened, then Z.W.E.I. lifted his head up, "Yes… you're going to…" he sniffled, "You're gonna see a little girl who used to play with you." Viola felt emotionless tears crawl out of her eyes, "You remember her, she'll have long hair with knots in it because she hates brushing it." He snorted just as tears dripped from his sockets, "But that's okay." He was talking about Zosia… this was heart-breaking… so much had happened so suddenly—just like when Z.W.E.I. had come home to learn the news—the abruptness of it was now easy to feel.

"Tell her that daddy found her red ribbon." Viola raised a brow, slightly confused, "She was so worried about that red ribbon… but it was just under the bed." He shook his head, never before had he said a prayer; no one ever taught him how, but this was as close as he could get. E.I.N. continued to listen to his master's wishes, "Tell her daddy loves her so much…" he whimpered, "So so much… and that he misses her… and everyday she makes me proud." He licked his lips, then bit it, trying to stay strong; once again, the most ridiculous little thing had done his loved one in, "Give her a big hug and kiss for me. And make her laugh—she had the most beautiful laugh."

_**Of course… my master.**_

__E.I.N. moaned one final time before his large eye closed to never open again. Once again because of his lack of responsibility, he'd killed another loved one. He wasn't quite as hysterical compared to when he'd lost his daughter… but he was feeling the same pain. Viola's face was scrunched up and red from the sorrow. Yet the day was beautiful and sunny… she gently went to caress her friend's cheek, "Z.W.E.I…" but he pushed her hand away. Any time he loved someone, he'd end up causing their demise.

"Viola," even though it pained him to do this, he stood up, "I want you out of my sight!" she knew that he was angry, but she had nowhere to go; who knew what else was out there? She stood up, nearly wobbling on her heels.

"I know you're in pain… I'll give you some quiet time and-"

"NO! OUT!" he commanded, causing her and the orb to flinch back, "I never want to see you AGAIN!" he shouted. Viola didn't understand… but part of her didn't want to.

"But…" she welted up, "Where am I supposed to go?"

"Like I care!" he turned his back on her—he couldn't bear to see the pain on her face, "You have that orb to guide you, right? So scram." The young woman couldn't comprehend he was doing this to try and better her, but instead, she grew angry. So angry that she was tearing up.

"Do you know what your issue is?" just then in the distance, they could hear thunder. Angry clouds were on their way, "You don't want anyone getting close to you! So you push them away!" she was ready to pound him with the orb; his lack of response was even more infuriating, "I thought you considered me different, that maybe you'd found someone to confide in… but I guess I'm meaningless just like everyone else you see in the world." The dark-haired man was silent. He didn't want to listen to her anger that he'd caused anymore… but he didn't want to be around her long enough that she would get hurt. He heard footsteps, and they were becoming fainter and fainter…

Nothing.

When he turned around, the angered woman was gone—finally deciding that her orb was good enough for company. Viola, his dearest, beautiful companion was gone… but now she was safe at least. Sliding his back down against a tree, Z.W.E.I. mourned—he mourned for E.I.N., he mourned for Viola not having a proper goodbye, but most of all, he mourned for Zosia.

X-x-X

Rain poured itself from the sky without any mercy. The swordsman had been wandering aimlessly for hours until he found a lone cave he could rest in, waiting for the rain to stop. But for him, the rain would _never _end… it would always be a dark, dreary, damp day without anyone he could love. For anytime he started to love someone or something, it always ended in misery. Maybe this is a life for him he thought. To die alone in a cave and starve to death painlessly… so soon he'd be with his daughter in heaven. Z.W.E.I. had been trying desperately to stop thinking about Viola—how heart-broken she must've been… but she would heal easily without him.

Maybe the rain would lull him to sleep… so that maybe he'd never wake up. Z.W.E.I. never wanted to wake up again.

_**What was that all about?**_

A feminine voice startled him; the werewolf looked back and forth until at the end of the cave, he saw the orb, flaming with anger. But where was Viola?

"What the hell? Why'd you leave Viola?"

_**I should be the one asking you. **_The orb hovered closer, _**She was devastated… we were both really starting to like you.**_

__He turned his head away from the sphere, "That was the problem… I was starting to like her too." It floated in silence, "But every time I find something I love, they always die."

_**And you think it's your fault?**_

__"Yes; it _is_ my fault! I put E.I.N. in danger, Viola could've been killed, and Zosia-" he stopped, he had to or else he'd strangle something, "I should've been there to watch her."

_**…**_

__Z.W.E.I. cupped his head in his hands and tuned out the world, soon enough he couldn't hear the rain anymore. But then he heard the sound of crying—no, cooing.

_**Ah… da-da-da.**_

__Z.W.E.I.'s eyes shot open as he looked at the orb, it hovered calmly as it let off a soothing light for Z.W.E.I., "Is-is that a baby?"

_**It's your baby…**_ it gently hovered closer to Z.W.E.I. so he could see—he saw a beautiful baby curled up in a blanket in a man's arms… they were his arms, "Zosia…" tears trickled from his sockets down his face, he grabbed the orb gently and gazed into it, watching the black-and-white images before him, Z.W.E.I. was singing a lullaby, "I loved to sing to my baby." He smiled, barely. The huge lump in his throat was broken by the sob that finally formed.

_**You don't have to be scared, **_he heard his own voice. He opened his teary eyes again to watch Zosia approaching E.I.N. with caution.

_**But daddy…**_

_** Don't be afraid… fear is your worst enemy.**_

__"Fear is your worst enemy…" he repeated to himself, Zosia was afraid of E.I.N. when she first saw him—until she approached him and pet his fur.

_**He's soft daddy! **_She giggled, _**He's a big doggy!**_

_** Yeah, do you know what dogs say? **_He asked his two year old, _**Woof woof.**_ Z.W.E.I. snickered as he watched the memories unfold—the beautiful ones, not the painful ones.

_**But he's a big doggy, and big doggies say AUUUUUU!**_

__She howled, _**AUUUU! AU-AU! AUUUUUUU!**_ Zosia howled joyously as Z.W.E.I. chuckled. In present time Z.W.E.I. was laughing painfully—deliriously, such a bittersweet moment as tears flickered from his chin.

_**I'm always safe with daddy. **_He heard her exclaim, Z.W.E.I. wasn't around for this, it must've been while he was away that dark… horrible day, he recognized the girl she was talking to; freckled Heidi the girls called her. She was like Zosia's older sister… Z.W.E.I. had known her since she was born, and she loved him like her own father. But he was paying more attention to Zosia, _**You should tell the other girls that I have the BEST daddy!**_

__Z.W.E.I. frowned, "I'm sorry Zosia…" his voice cracked, "No I wasn't."

_**She had grey eyes.**_ The orb mentioned, confusing the man.

"What?"

_**You're color-blind, and you always wondered what color eyes she had—they were grey, like yours, like the moon. **_

"Really?" he laughed, still sulking softly, "She looked like me?" he was happier than he'd ever felt at that moment.

_**Z.W.E.I., why don't you want to continue living?**_

__"Because I have no purpose anymore; I had a purpose and I knew who I was… I was a father… now there's no reason I should love anyone because they all get hurt in the end."

_**But you don't know that, it was because you were afraid to love anything again.**_

_** …**_

_** And you were starting to love Viola weren't you?**_

He didn't answer, he thought of her soothing voice, her elegant face, her loving, warm heart. _**You said yourself fear is your worst enemy… everyone has a purpose; they just have to make one for themselves. That girl Heidi… you also care about her—When Zosia died, you both comforted each other. You took care of her since her father is always away. You said you'd return to her soon.**_

__"Heidi… I remember when I was first helping Kristof take care of her I thought there's no way I could love anyone more than her. But then when I had a daughter of my own and I-I first held her in my arms it was so different… it was someone for you to love, to protect, to hold… and it was _yours_… it was only yours to love." He remembered the chills he felt when he first held his baby. It was beautiful. Z.W.E.I. shook his head, "But Heidi's counting on me… isn't she?"

The orb didn't respond, he knew that answer, "I told her I wasn't quitting. Not even when we were both depressed I told her that we can't give up on life."

_**Viola doesn't know who she is—she thought that you were the key to finding out her purpose in life. **_There was a brief pause; _**She doesn't need me to find meaning anymore, Z.W.E.I. She's found someone else who cares about her.**_

__"I'm going to find her." He let go of the orb and stood up, "Where's Viola?" the rain didn't cease, but a little water wouldn't kill him.

_**She's in danger.**_

X-x-X

"Let me go!" she squirmed to get out of the two servant's arms. They had her by her wrists and were dragging her forcefully to their leader. Her orb had vanished sometime after leaving Z.W.E.I., she had nothing to fight with, nothing to protect her, "Get your hands off me!" she growled and sneered. They brought her to an older, French-looking man who stood in the middle of their camp. They shoved her to the ground and one hefted his boot onto her back.

"So, this is the pest that was damn difficult to find?" Graf Dumas observed the hooded woman, which he removed forcefully. Her silver, shimmering hair and ruby red eyes—she'd be a perfect sacrifice. He snickered, "Bring me the sword." One of the servants had been sent to retrieve Soul Edge from its deceased host—it could always find a new one.

"Why are you doing this? I'm not malfested!" she demanded, trying to shove the man off of her, "You're killing innocent people!" Graf Dumas took the large sword by its hilt.

"The sword needs souls of pure, yet strong people; rich, powerful souls." He glided his hand down the long blade, as if sharpening it, "Now, I don't want to make this emotional, so how about we just get straight to business?" Viola flinched with agony and knelt her head low, knowing she wouldn't be able to get to her feet on time. But she had to fight back… and quickly looking up at the blade in the nick of time, she dropped her body to the ground and rather than her head, the blade had seized the servant's leg.

"AUUUGGGGH!" he screamed with blood-curdling agony, "SON OF A BITCH!" the man fell to the side as Graf Dumas looked angrily at the clever girl who was on her feet. Viola wasn't a fighter, but she had her wits. Instead of wasting her energy, the woman fled away from the sociopaths and into the thickets of trees. She hated heels, but she couldn't waste her time ripping them off as she kept running until her face slammed head first into someone's chest. He was overjoyed to see her.

"Viola!"

"Z.W.E.I…" Viola wasn't, she immediately became enraged upon the sight of his face. But she heard minions approaching from behind her, "Where's the orb?!"

"No time for that." He pushed her aside, "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you… that's my purpose." He prepared his blade for a bloody battle. Viola was confused, but it sounded like the Z.W.E.I. she'd been getting to know before his sudden outburst. The werewolf then cried out a battle roar as he attacked whatever foes came into his path. It was his purpose to love someone and protect them… and that person was Viola. Z.W.E.I. had created his own purpose—he knew who he was. He was at last someone who wasn't afraid to love again. And when it was all over, the man finally returned home to someone who had been waiting for him.

X-x-X

Heidi was still in his lap, Lena and Madeline had their jaws dropped, "After that, Graf Dumas had disappeared, but he left the blade behind… Viola and I figured that it was the blade that was driving him insane so… I smashed it with my sword."

"Does Viola have a place to live without her orb?" Lena asked, but Madeline was concerned with something else.

"She sounds so pretty! I wish I could meet her!" Z.W.E.I. grinned and gently placed Heidi on the ground on her feet, standing up to his giant height over them.

"She has a home now…" he stepped back closer towards the trees where the shy woman had been waiting for her 'cue'. He held out his hand to her, reminding her of their previous conversation.

"Z.W.E.I… I don't know where I belong, what if they don't accept me?" she talked of her white hair and red eyes… she thought she looked freakish. Z.W.E.I. held his hand out to her then as well.

"They will… if they accept me, then surely they'll accept you."

Finally, with a smile, Viola took Z.W.E.I.'s hand and he escorted her out into the open. The girls gasped upon seeing her. The sheepish woman blushed at the sight of them, "You're so pretty!" the girls suddenly surrounded her.

"I love your hair!"

"Do you live with us now?" as Viola giggled with modesty she looked at her werewolf companion, who smiled in returned. The two underneath the beautiful, crescent moon embraced each other… they knew who they were at last.

Meanwhile, in the back woods, a lavender orb levitated with the sound of a woman singing to her baby…


End file.
